Sidney C. Roberts v. Paul K. Delo

RICHARD S. ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

The defendant, Sidney Roberts, appeals from the denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Although the District Court 2 denied Roberts’s petition, it granted a certificate of appealability on two issues: (1) whether the prosecutor’s comments during closing argument denied him due process; and (2) whether his counsel on direct appeal provided ineffective assistance. We affirm.

I

The defendant was convicted, by jury, of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. We state the facts in the light - most favorable to the verdict. In September of 1988, on…